Concealable Holster for a Firearm

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a concealable holster for a handgun which encircles the mid-torso of the wearer, for the purpose of supporting and stabilizing a handgun, while the wearer is engaged in vigorous physical activities such as running, thereby reducing movement of the firearm independent of the wearer&#39;s body allowing the wearer to focus on the activity without the distraction of the independent movement of the handgun. The handgun within an encasement with a clip attachment is inserted onto the belt; a pad is attached to the interior side of the belt and positioned behind the firearm encasement. The unattached top and bottom portions of the belt&#39;s plane and pad&#39;s plane, which are aligned, create a sleeve which precludes movement of the firearm independent of the wearer&#39;s body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 61/790282 filed Mar. 15, 2013, and a refiling of the provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/950971 filed Mar. 11, 2014; the foregoingapplication is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully setforth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a concealed firearms holster forsupporting and stabilizing a handgun worn during vigorous physicalactivities. The invention was developed for athletes needing theprotection of a firearm while engaging in rigorous activity. Theinvention is a concealed firearm holster worn at the wearer's mid-torsoor upper waist. The holster enables the wearer to carry a firearm (orother device) safely and comfortably during vigorous physical activitywithout detracting from the wearer's focus on the activity at hand.

2. Description of the Related Art

For the athlete, or even the recreational or occupational user, engagedin vigorous activity, access to a firearm for safety allows the wearerprotection and self-defense in the instance of exigent and dangerouscircumstances. The ability to carry a firearm safely while running,hiking, cross-country skiing, bicycling and other strenuous physicalendeavors enhances and expands the athlete's options regarding where andwhen she can engage in these activities. The present invention, aconcealed holster for a firearm is designed to allow the athlete tofocus on the athletic activity and enjoy the peace of mind having theself-defense protection of a firearm.

Athletes carrying a handgun do not want the firearm to distract from theactivity or their performance in that activity. Carrying a firearm cancause distraction or discomfort and diminish the wearer's physicalperformance. A person carrying a concealed firearm during vigorousphysical activities must be able to carry the firearm comfortably or itis likely the wearer will discontinue the practice of carrying thefirearm during the physical activity. The present invention allows thewearer to carry the firearm in a holster which contours to the wearer'sbody and is secure, stable, safe, and comfortable.

The present invention stabilizes and secures the firearm to the wearer'sbody to minimize the movement of the firearm independent of the wearer'sbody. This allows the wearer to focus on the activity. A firearm that isnot stabilized is a distraction because the movement and shifting of theweight of the firearm against the body. The present invention minimizesmovement of the firearm that is independent of the wearer's body.

Most recreational and athletic pursuits involve quick movement of thebody and forceful and jarring body movements. The present inventionminimizes the independent movement of the firearm or device from themovement of the body. Movement of the firearm independent of thewearer's body makes carrying the firearm uncomfortable to the wearer andis potentially unsafe if the movement resulted in the disengagement ofthe firearm from the holster or accidental discharge due to accidentalengagement of the firearm's trigger mechanism or accidentaldisengagement of the firearm's safety mechanism.

Personal safety issues are important for all athletes, but particularlyfemale athletes. Women who carry concealed firearms do so out of agenuine and well-grounded concern for their personal safety. Thisconcern for personal safety can limit the activities of women becausesome of the activities them in potentially dangerous or remoteenvironments making them reluctant to pursue those activities without ameans of protecting themselves. The present invention allows womenwearers (and users of any gender to carry a concealed firearm) in thesecircumstances without fear of harm.

Women who wish to carry a concealed firearm for purposes other thanathletics (i.e. self-defense or defense of others i.e. children) requirea concealed firearm holster which is safe, which can be worn on thebody, is comfortable and conforms to a women's body dimensions, does notrequire heavyweight garments or heavier clothing to help support theweight of the firearm, and allows easy access to the firearm. Women whocarry concealed firearms have limited options for holsters which fulfillthe need to carry the weapon in a manner that suits a woman's body andwomen's clothing.

The present invention contours to the body, holding the firearm againstthe body securely while supporting the weight of the firearm without theneed of an article of clothing or garment made of heavyweight materialto help support and stabilize the firearm. Nor does the presentinvention require the use of a shoulder strap or other encumberingdevice which could interfere with or is incompatible with dimensions ofthe female body. The present invention allows the female user to safelyand comfortably carry a concealed firearm on her person.

A woman carrying a concealed firearm must be able to carry the weaponsafety. Some women chose to carry their firearm in a concealed holsterthat is not worn or secured to the wearer's body due to theunavailability of options that suit their needs. The present inventionallows the wearer to position the firearm or device housed in theconcealable holster on her body at multiple positions, to include theright side, left side, back, front-center, around the mid-torso or upperwaist. This positioning of the firearm allows for multiple draw options.It is equally accessible to right and left-handed persons. The firearmmay be positioned for right, left, rear and front or cross draw.

A holster that is not attached to the wearer's body carries a heightenedresponsibility and diligence as this style of holster requires the userto maintain constant contact with and control of the holster to preventan unauthorized person from gaining access to the firearm. A distractedmother tending to small children often could easily become distractedand lose contact and control of a holster that is unattached to andindependent of her body. Examples of prior art such as concealableholsters built into a handbag or purse, or a concealable holster encasedin a portfolio are not attached to the wearer's body. The presentinvention is worn on the body and reduces the likelihood an unauthorizedperson will gain access to the firearm.

A concealable holster designed to be attached to the wearer's clothingalso has limited utility as attaching a concealable holster to thewaistband or other areas of the body. For example the clothing wornwhile running is, lightweight and cannot support the weight of thefirearm in the manner required by the design of the prior art as thelightweight clothing allows a degree of movement or free play that isuncomfortable and allows unsafe movement of the firearm independent ofthe wearer's body. The present invention supports the weight of thefirearm independent of articles of clothing or other devices and securesthe holster and firearm directly to the body.

Concealing a firearm is essential for many reasons. Civilians carrying afirearm for self-defense must conceal their weapon so as to nottelegraph to a potential attacker that they are armed, therebyeliminating the element of surprise during an assault, or worse,encouraging an attacker to attempt to gain possession of the wearer'sgun. In addition, in some jurisdictions, it is illegal to carry ahandgun openly (“open carry”).

The present invention conceals that the wearer is carrying a firearm,allows the wearer to comply with the law, and exercise her rights toprotect herself and her right to carry a firearm with sensiblediscretion and privacy.

A person under attack in an exigent and dangerous circumstance must haveeasy and rapid access to the firearm. The present invention allows forrapid access to the firearm. It houses the firearm so that while housedwithin the holster the firearm is exposed and does not require thewearer to take steps to expose the firearm so the firearm may beaccessed by the wearer.

The present invention allows rapid access to the weapon as the weapon isnot completely encased and does not require the user to reach into a bagor under a covering to access the firearm.

Prior art houses the firearm within an enclosed structure such as a bagwhich must be opened to expose the handgun so that he may be accessed,thereby decreasing the speed at which the firearm can be drawn duringexigent circumstances. A firearm that is concealed and stabilized but isnot readily accessible to the wearer in circumstances requiring thewearer to rapidly draw the firearm from the holster and respond to athreat has serious limitations. If the wearer must unzip, unsnap orotherwise open a closed compart in which the firearm is housed, andreach into the compart to access the firearm, the time it takes to drawthe firearm for use in exigent circumstances has increased, as has thepossibility of the firearm snagging which would further increase thetime it takes to draw the firearm. In an exigent circumstance this couldhave serious consequences; it could also increase the changes of anaccidental discharge of the firearm due to the disengagement of thefirearm's safety mechanism or the accidental engagement of the triggerm's safety mechanism or the accidental engagement of the triggermechanism.

The present invention is carried independent of the wearer's clothingand does not require garments or other aids or encumbering devices toadd support to the weapon. Prior art utilizes shoulder straps orharnesses to provide support, or require the holster to be placed behindthe waistbands of garments made of sturdy materials in order to providestability.

The present invention be could be used as designed by a wearer with noclothing and still provide the intended function.

A prototype of the present invention was commercially manufactured andthat prototype has been tested in the field and found to perform asdesigned and as described by specific reference herein to thisapplication.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a comfortable andsafe method of carrying a firearm, large cell phone or other devicewhile engaged in vigorous physical activities such as running. Thepresent invention gives the wearer the option of positioning the firearmor device in multiple positions on the waist on the torso. The wearermay position the firearm or device at the front, rear, right or leftside of the body. In the case of a firearm, the multiple positions allowfor the greatest number of draw options, it is equally accessible to theright and left-handed wearer and can be positioned for cross draw. Thepresent invention allows quick and safe access to the firearm or device.The invention allows the wearer to conceal a firearm under outergarments. The present invention protects the firearm or device from thecorrosive effects of sweat. The invention is designed for use by men andwomen. Unlike prior art, the present invention minimizes or eliminatesthe independent movement of the firearm or device in relation to themovement of the wearer's body during vigorous physical activity, andthereby allowing the wearer to pursue physical activities such asrunning without the discomfort, distraction or danger of the firearmhaving independent movement from the wearer's body. The invention'ssynthetic rubber barrier cushions the holster and the firearm or devicecontained therein while molding to the wearer's body thereby eliminatingmuch if not all of the independent movement of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster with the firearm positionedin the sleeve;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holster with the firearm encasementand the pad removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holster with firearm, firearmencasement attached;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the belt with the pad removed from thebelt;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the belt with the pad attached to theinterior of the belt;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the interior and exterior of the pad;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the interior plane of the belt;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the exterior plane of the belt; and

FIG. 9 is the front and rear view depicting the holster as worn by theuser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferredembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not,however be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-9, the invention is manufactured from avariable length of 4 inch wide polypropylene web belt material, withvarying lengths (to be determined by the wearer's body size) 1. Theouter edge is covered in binding material 5, with 4 inch×6 inch hook andloop material 4 a & 4 b at either end. The hook material is attached tothe outer side of the belt 4 b, and the loop attached to the inner sideof the belt 4 a. The width and the rigidity of the polypropylene webbingprovides stabilization when the belt is adjusted to a length around thewaist that tightly encompasses the waist and firearm bring the firearmcloser to the wearer's body.

In addition a the invention includes a stabilizing barrier comprised ofan 8 inch×5 inch 0.060 inch thick synthetic rubber pad 2 attached to theinterior side of the belt by 1 inch strips of adhesive back hook 3 a & 3b and loop 10 a & 10 b material. The hook material is positioned 1 inchfrom the outer edges of the pad toward the center of the pad 2. The loopmaterial 10 a & 10 b is attached to the inner side of the belt with theinner edges of the loop positioned six inches apart. The syntheticrubber pad acts as a cushion for the firearm and stabilizes andimmobilizes the firearm and firearm encasement while also molding to thewearer's body.

Referring now to FIG. 1, which shows the hook 3 a & 3 b and loop 10 a &10 b material attached to the interior plane of the synthetic rubberpad. The firearm encasement 6, containing a semi-automatic handgun 8, isshown as inserted into the sleeve 8 formed by the interior plane of thesynthetic rubber pad 2 and the interior plane of the nylon webbing belt1. The sleeve 8 is partially open with the interior planes of the pad 2and the nylon webbing belt 1 opposite each other with a number of inchesof space between them to allow the insertion of the firearm encasement.The composition of the holster's elements, the synthetic rubber pad, thepolypropylene webbing material minimize the independent movement of thefirearm or other device from that of the movement of the wearer's body.The materials and composition of elements of prior art do not providethe same level of stabilization of the weight of the firearm or device.A semi-automatic handgun was used for the purpose of illustration, but arevolver style handgun could be substituted as an illustration as thereis no difference in the functionality of the concealable holster for thesemi-automatic handgun or revolver style handgun.

Referring now to FIG. 2, which depicts an exploded view revealing theadhesive back hook and loop material 10 a & 10 b which are sewn onto tothe interior of the nylon webbing belt 1 in addition to being attachedto the belt 1 by the adhesive on the back of the hook and loop material10 a & 10 b.

Referring now to FIG. 3, which shows the firearm encasement 6 inposition on the nylon webbing belt 1. The firearm encasement is attachedby sliding the clip attachment 9 onto the belt and by placing the nylonwebbing belt 1 between the two planes of the clip 9. The clip attachmentof the firearm encasement may be attached to the front or back plane ofthe encasement to facilitate the use of the holster by right orleft-handed wearers.

Referring now to FIG. 4, which depicts and exploded view and shows thesynthetic rubber pad 2 in a disengaged position from the nylon webbingbelt 1.

Referring now to FIG. 5 which depicts a view of the interior plane ofthe belt 1 with the pad 2 attached to the belt by the engagement of thehook 3 a & 3 b and loop 10 a & 10 b attached to the interior plane ofthe pad and the interior plane of the belt. Sleeve 8 is shown in aclosed position with the planes of the pad 2 and the belt 1 aligned andthe planes touching against each other with minimal space between theplanes.

Referring now to FIG. 6, which depicts the interior and exterior sidesof the cloth covered pad 2 and the hook attachments 3 a and 3 b.

Referring now to FIG. 7 depicts the interior side of the belt 1 with thehook and loop attachment 4 a and the end portion of the webbing belt.

Referring now to FIG. 8, which depicts the exterior side of the belt 1with the hook and loop attachment 4 b positioned at the end portion ofthe webbing belt.

Referring now to FIG. 9, which illustrates the present inventionencircled and engaged around the wearer's body showing two of themultiple positioning options for the firearm around the circumference ofthe wearer's body, and one of multiple positions of the concealableholster between the waist and mid-torso of the wearer's body.

As outlined in greater detail throughout these specification, thepresent invention improves upon prior art by reducing independentmovement of the firearm or device from the movement of the wearer's bodyduring vigorous physical activities such as running. This reduction inmovement is accomplished by pad 2, which acts as a stabilizing barrierbetween the firearm in the firearm encasement and the wearer's body.

1. A holster encircling the waist of the wearer and for the purpose ofsecuring, supporting and stabilizing a firearm encasement and thefirearm contained within the encasement, compromising: a belt; a handgunencasement with clip attachment which attaches to the belt; a pad ofsynthetic rubber which is attached to the interior of the belt andpositioned behind the firearm encasement; wherein the top and bottomportions of the belt and synthetic pad are unattached at the top andbottom portions of the belt to which the pad is aligned, therebycreating a sleeve which houses the firearm within its encasement as theencasement is placed in the sleeve created by the rear plane of the beltand the front plane of the pad;
 2. The invention of claim 1 comprises abelt with attachment devices for engaging the first end upon the secondend so the ends overlap and attach allowing the wearer to adjust thefunctional length of the belt to be positioned around the waist of thewearer.
 3. The attachment devices of the belt of claim 2 allowrepeatable engagement and disengagement over the lifespan of theholster.
 4. The belt of claim 2 comprises heavyweight polypropylenewebbing material.
 5. The belt of claim 2 where binding material isattached to the exterior edges of the belt.
 6. The invention of claim 1further comprising a firearm encasement with attachment clip.
 7. Thefirearm encasement of claim 7 having a first and second panel beingattached to retain a firearm within.
 8. The firearm encasement of claim7 is constructed of synthetic or man-made materials.
 9. The firearmencasement of claim 7 has at least one attachment clip.
 10. Theattachment clip of claim 9 may be attached to either the front or rearplane of the encasement.
 11. The clip attachment of claim 9 may beattached to the firearm encasement by screws, rivets, adhesive or byinserting through an elastic band attached to the front or rear plane ofthe firearm encasement.
 12. The clip attachment of claim 9 may be haveone, or static positioning device, or the attachment may allow more thanone option for positioning of the firearm encasement so that theencasement may be angled or canted.
 13. The invention of claim 1 furthercompromises a cloth covered synthetic rubber pad secured to the interiorplane of the belt, and said pad (panel) positioned directly behind thefirearm encasement and positioned for contact with the wearer's body.14. The synthetic rubber pad of claim 13) is attached to the interiorplane of the belt by attachment devices which are positioned andattached to the interior plane of the pad at the right and left endportion.
 15. The belt of claim 2 attaches to the synthetic rubber pad ofclaim 12 by attachment devices that are positioned and attached to theinterior plane of the belt so that the attachment devices align with thecorresponding attachment devices of the pad of claim 12 and the pad'sattachment devices of claim
 14. 16. The attachment devices of thesynthetic rubber pad of claim 12 allow repeatable engagement anddisengagement over the lifespan of the holster.
 17. The pad of claim 2where binding material is attached to the exterior edges of the pad. 18.The attachment devices of claim 14 allow repeatable engagement anddisengagement over the lifespan of the holster.
 19. The belt of claim 2may also have attached to its exterior plane, sleeves, pockets, pouches,flaps or other attachment devices.